KGSP student Driven Toward Success in the classroom and on the racetrack

Arriving as a freshman at the University of Rochester in 2017, Jaafar Al Hadab actively sought to join a student club that would be both fun and applicable his major, mechanical engineering. He discovered a perfect match in the automotive UR Baja SAE team, which combines Jaafar’s love of cars with his academic interests in engineering, allowing him to expand his skills in the technical side of automotive design within the hands-on setting of building a real vehicle.

The UR Baja SAE team designs, builds, and races a single seat off-road vehicle in competitions hosted by SAE International. “SAE International, initially established as the Society of Automotive Engineers, is a U.S.-based, globally active professional association and standards developing organization for engineering professionals in various industries.”  

Each year, the UR Baja SAE team starts designing its car in the summer, builds the car in the fall semester, and then races it in national competitions all over the U.S. in the spring.  Jaafar currently assists in designing and building the car’s suspension, and hopes to be elected to the team’s executive board next fall as a junior.  Jaafar has become a leader among the group, participating in multiple completions from Kansas to Maryland where he helps work on the car and make adjustments before and mid-race.

Jaafar’s participation is an example of KGSP students using their academic prowess to enrich their undergraduate experience while also expanding their professional expertise and networking base.